Superman is DC Comics’ most powerful superhero, capable of holding his own against even his most powerful villains, like Darkseid and Brainiac. That’s why it’s surprising that his nemesis is Lex Luthor, a man without superpowers.
The best versions of Luthor in comics, television, and film make him a threat precisely because of this disparity. He fights Superman with wealth and connections, not with fists or energy beams. He understands Superman’s moral code and uses it to his advantage, knowing that even if Superman is convinced Luthor is behind the latest scheme he’s unraveled, he can’t do anything about it without hard evidence that will convince the authorities.
But superhero stories demand a thrilling climax, and writers have struggled with how to place Luthor at the center of the action. Some stories have him in a battle suit so he can survive a punch from the Man of Steel. Justice League Unlimited gave him superpowers by merging him with Brainiac. In Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s All-Star Superman, which James Gunn said was a primary influence on his 2025 Superman, Luthor uses Superman’s DNA to gain his powers.
Gunn found a different way to have Luthor fight Superman, one that leans more heavily on his mentoring skills. It’s a twist that closely ties into a recent Marvel villain reinvention, forcing Superman to find a new way to take down his foe.
[ Ed. note: Major spoilers follow for Superman — and Spiderman: Far From Home .]
Image: Warner Bros. Pictures
Superman opens shortly after Superman (David Corenswet) is soundly beaten by the Hammer of Boravia, an armored figure who claims to be avenging his home country after Superman stops Boravia from invading a neighboring country. The supposed national champion of Boravia is able to smash the world’s most powerful metahuman into the pavement, but it’s quickly revealed that he’s not actually Boravian: he’s a creation of Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), who is directing every blow in the fight from a command center in his metrolo.
É um esforço de equipe que lembra como o ilusionista Mysterio opera em Homem -Aranha: Longe de casa. Enquanto Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal) é disfarçado de herói de outra dimensão, supostamente lutando para salvar a Terra dos elementos invasores, ele tem uma equipe inteira trabalhando nos bastidores para tornar a ilusão convincente, em um esquema para ganhar a confiança de Peter Parker. O clone do Superman de Luthor Ultraman está dentro do martelo da armadura de Borávia, oferecendo os grandes sucessos e dando socos no Super -Homem, enquanto Luthor dirige todos os seus movimentos, com a ajuda de um pequeno exército de lacaios. Luthor não precisa lutar contra o próprio Super -Homem, porque ele usou seu intelecto para realizar uma batalha inteiramente em seus termos. “Brain bate de força”, Luthor Crows quando ele tem o Super -Homem no seu menor.
Como o Mysterio do MCU, que passou 12 anos unindo outros funcionários descontentes da Stark Industries e planejando sua vingança, esse Luthor é paciente. Luthor passou os três anos desde que Superman entrou no cenário mundial estudando todos os movimentos do Super -Homem para que Luthor pudesse coreografar uma luta contra ele. Luthor vasculhou os locais de suas batalhas para o sangue que ele poderia usar para clonar o Super -Homem. Luthor convenceu o líder de Borávia de que o bilionário da tecnologia queria uma guerra para imóveis-um bom aceno para as versões que atraem a terra do personagem interpretado por Gene Hackman na década de 1978 Superman e Kevin Spacey em 2006’s Superman retorna – Quando Luthor estava realmente apenas procurando uma desculpa para matar Superman. Até o ataque do Hammer of Borávia é apenas uma distração que Luthor pode usar para se infiltrar na fortaleza de solidão do Super -Homem, em busca de algo que ele pode usar para combater o Super -Homem na corte da opinião pública.
Foto: Jay Maidment/Sony Pictures
Mysterio e Luthor querem que todos saibam o quão inteligentes são. Mysterio estabelece todas as partes de seu plano na festa de Wrap Villainous que ele hospeda depois de enganar Peter com sucesso a dar a ele o controle da tecnologia Tony Stark, entregue a Peter. Luthor, da mesma forma, os monólogos dos vilões para Superman depois de aprisioná-lo, confiantes nas defesas redundantes de fazê-lo preso em uma dimensão de bolso sem sol em uma célula com um pedaço vivo de criptonita. A arrogância pode parecer boba se não fosse tão essencial para o seu personagem.
While Gunn’s Superman doesn’t follow the All-Star Superman plot, where the dying hero completes a set of Herculean tests to get his affairs in order, the film is faithful to Morrison’s excellent version of Luthor. The brilliant scientist sees himself as an avatar of human potential and ambition, and Superman as an invasive species that threatens to stifle these qualities. Luthor doesn’t see himself as a villain, but as a savior of a threatened humanity. Gunn’s version of Luthor has even more of a point than Morrison’s, as this Superman was sent to Earth precisely because he is so much stronger than humans that he could easily dominate the planet if he wanted to.
Hoult beautifully conveys these same sentiments. His Lex is a petty tyrant who relishes the fear he inspires in his subordinates so much that, after dropping a mug full of pencils only to watch them struggle to clean up the mess, he immediately swats at another, like a sadistic cat. But he’s honest about his flaws, admitting that he’s incredibly jealous of Superman. He had to spend years planning to create a credible threat to someone who fell from the sky and became the most powerful man in the world.
But while Luthor explains all of Superman’s fighting techniques, he fails to understand his greatest strength: his ability to inspire others. Superman escapes from Luthor’s prison, enlisting the help of Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan). He foils his schemes in Boravia, bringing the Justice Gang to heel. His girlfriend Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) leads the investigation that exposes Luthor’s crimes. Even Superman’s kindness to the well-behaved super-powered dog Krypto helps him win the final battle.
Luthor ends the film sent from Belle Reve, the base of operations for Amanda Waller’s Task Force X, so he will almost certainly have another role to play in the future of Gunn’s DC universe. Even defeated, this is a version of the character with enormous potential. He has already demonstrated his ability to command a group capable of overthrowing Superman. With the groundwork laid for the Justice League to become the Justice League, I expect Luthor to take on his other major role in DC comics: leader of the Legion of Doom.
